Who will secure safety and who will be headed for the last chance saloon?

It is safe to assume that when the first team meeting of the season were held, none of the four teams in action tonight would have been planning on being in relegation action, some would have had genuine ambitions of being in Quarter-Final action and for others, their season may have been a success were they to have simply avoided the dreaded Relegation Play-Offs.

But for Na Fianna, Kilbride, Ballivor and Drumbaragh Emmets, the Relegation Play-Off is where their season has brought them and tonight, they have sixty minutes, or maybe more if extra-time is required, to save their season and avoid the drop to a lower tier of Championship Football.

Tickets for the games including the newly available Weekend Pass are available via the link: Football Championship Tickets

This scribe has sympathy for both Na Fianna and Ballivor who are in action just four days after their dual players lined out in the final round of the Hurling Championship, meaning that since they played in Round 3, they will have had one full session together to prepare for their crucial games.

That said, neither Kilbride or Drumbaragh Emmets will have any concerns over that, and their sole focus will be on picking up the crucial victory and avoiding another fortnight of training ahead of the Relegation Play-Off Final.

Na Fianna have been shorn of a number of their regulars of previous seasons this year due to players opting to take a year out and go travelling and there are few if any clubs who could cope without the loss of players of the calibre of Sean Martin and Shane Walsh who have missed the entire season. Walsh though has returned home and is a most interesting addition among the replacements. Few would be surprised if he is a late addition to the starting XV.

Johnny Baldwin who leaves and breathes Na Fianna has this year stepped up and pulled on the Bainisteoir bib and while their opening round defeat to Trim came off the back of a disappointing performance, they were much improved in Round 2 when losing out narrowly to Skryne and then in Round 3 there was further improvement when they turned in a spirited showing against Ratoath in Martry.

Daniel Queeney missed out on that game but is expected to be back in the mix this evening as is his older brother Jamie and their return to the fold should bring about a much needed improvement in their attack, in which no player landed more than a solitary score against Ratoath, with Ethan Devine doing much of the heavy lifting in that regard as he landed six points, including two from play.

But as ever, the obvious strength in the Na Fianna side lies in their defence. Oran Smullen is a tigerish presence in the full back line and he is a player who probably harbours ambitions of lining out at a higher level and he is joined in the defensive effort by Sam Jordan who is coming off the back of two excellent campaigns with the Meath U-20’s and the regular Meath full back Sean Rafferty.

If this trio can hit top form, then the Kilbride attacking unit will have a massive job on their hands to overpower them.

The 2025 season was one that many in Kilbride could only dream of up to very recently as a club which seven seasons ago were languishing in the fourth tier of Meath Football, returned to the top table after a dramatic Meade Farm Intermediate Football Championship Final victory over Castletown.

Anthony Moyles and his management team got a sweet tune out of their orchestra last year and that continued into this season when they once more defeated Castletown in the Division 3 League Final on the eve of the Championship.

That said, Division 3 League football is a world away from the white heat of the Fairyhouse Steel Senior Football Championship and they have found the going tough in Group A, losing out to Summerhill, Rathkenny and St. Peter’s Dunboyne by an average margin of almost twelve points.

On the eve of the Championship, they suffered a major blow when Conor McWeeney was once more ruled out with an ACL injury. Haven’t they been one of the main stories of the Championship to date? For a club with a relatively small playing pool to choose from, that loss has proven to be crucial as his pace and power in attack has been sorely missed.

There were encouraging signs in their opening round loss to Summerhill, with a promising first half showing but in the second period, the men from the ‘Hill gained the upper-hand around the middle third and slowly squeezed the life out of Kilbride. There is no other way to describe their Round 2 loss to Rathkenny other than by saying it was deeply disappointing and in the final round, St. Peter’s Dunboyne made the most of having the elements at their back in the opening stanza as they built up a strong lead that their fellow parishioners could never reel in.

Ronan O’Leary is a very intelligent full back and if the expected duel between himself and Jamie Queeney does materialise then it is imperative for Kilbride that O’Leary finds a way to come out on top. Beside him in the corner is Cian Harford who has enjoyed some spectacular performances in the full back line and he will need to produce one of his best to date in Kilcloon.

Caolan Howard and Cathal McKeon are a solid midfield pairing but will be fully aware that a seasons best performance will be required this evening if they are to edge the aerial exchanges, which would then give their side the platform to get good, early ball into the full forward line where Josh Harford and David O’Leary will be expected to lead the way.

Twelve months ago, the reigning IFC champions Meath Hill took a seasoned Simonstown Gaels side all the way to penalties at this stage of the Relegation Play-Off and while nobody wants that prospect in Kilcloon, anything is possible as players fight tooth and nail to preserve their Senior status.

The Meade Farm Intermediate Football Championship Relegation Play-Off between Ballivor and Drumbaragh Emmets sees two sides that have been decimated by injury this year come face to face in another game where anything could happen.

Ballivor are missing two of their key players in the shape of Brian O’Halloran and Kevin McKeon with O’Halloran having picked up a hand injury in the opening round of the Ted Murtagh Clothing & Footwear SHC and McKeon going down in Round 2 of the Football Championship on a weekend where there was a litany of serious injuries picked up.

Drumbaragh Emmets have also picked up more than their fair share of injuries, and among those missing are the likes of Harry O’Higgins and Jimmy Corcoran.

Considering all these injuries, it is little surprise that both sides have endured difficult Championships and Ballivor who are lining out on a Thursday for the third time in this year’s Championship off the back of a hurling weekend are rumoured to have sent a delegation to France last week on the annual Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes that their players would come through unscathed for Kildalkey and Killyon in their respective matches.

Hughie Corcoran will once more be the key man up front for Drumbaragh and if he can hit his best form then the scores will flow for the ‘Emmets, particularly if Liam Ward has a hot streak on the frees as he is a potent weapon for two-pointers when he hits his straps.

There is no doubting the ability of young Shea McManus around the middle of the field and he will be looking to help dominate that area along with Tomas Doogan but they will face a stiff test against the likes of Jamie Kavanagh and Gary Sherrock who have both been around the block a few times and are wily campaigners.

Jamie Smyth is a solid campaigner in the full back line, but it would be no shock were he to be designated a man marking job on Corcoran.

But there is no doubting where the aces in the Ballivor pack are and they come in the shape of Brendan McKeon, Nicky Potterton and Adam Gannon who are all pacy, direct runners and they type of player that when on form can cause endless problems for any defence.

It is difficult to predict which of these sides will survive and it could well come down to whichever manager can pick a starting XV with the fewer absentees through injury in terms of their better players. Strap yourselves in, this could be a long night.